- Date
- June 26, 1982, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Belle Chasse, LA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3446WPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820626024919A
- Case key
- 69917
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft departed southern seaplane's land rwy 20 & climbed to approximately 200-300 ft where it was observed trailing white smoke. It travelled approximately 1.6 mi from its departure point & struck a tree on the bank of the algiers outfall canal. Eng tear down inspection revealed that the #3 cylinder suffered a catastrophic failure. The #5 cylinder & rod assembly was found to have loose connecting rod cap nuts. Both #3 & #5 conrods & cylinders were replaced on 9/29/81. #1, 2, & 4 cylinders had several dime to quarter size pieces of aluminum on top of the piston inside the cylinders.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3446W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32312
- Airframe hours
- 3,606
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Sizor Machinery Company
- Registered owner
- Sizor Machinery Company
- Departed
- Belle Chasse, LA
- Destination
- Chicago, IL
- Airport
- Southern Seaplane, runway 20, 3,200 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 2,176 total · 2,176 in this make and model · 2,047 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 178 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NBG
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.